Ignition
by Seirei no Ryuu
Summary: AU Sakura was his best friend and, without warning, she disappeared. Five years later, Sasuke finds her, except now things are different, dangerous even. "We're at war, Sasuke. You and me, we're on opposite sides of the spectrum."
1. Crazy man attacks

**My walk-in entry for SasuSaku month under the prompt "Summer" and theme "Chance meetings." It's also my attempt to compile week 1 "AU" under the prompt "Ignite/burn." **

**SasuSaku is implied till the very end of this chapter.  
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**Disclaimer: _Naruto _belongs to the respective author, Masashi Kishimotot  
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><p>Ch 1: Crazy man attacks<p>

If you are reading this, know that you are very stupid. Why? Because you never knew there was a war going on right under your nose. I'm not talking about those wars you hear on TV everyday. I'm talking about a war much, much worse.

A war that could destroy the world.

If you're tired of me insulting you, fine. Go ahead, leave. I won't care. I just thought I might tell you something you never knew in your ignorant lives. I don't blame you though. I didn't know it myself until I became a part of it. It's a miracle the whole thing was a secret for thousands of years. I'm guessing there were signs, signs that didn't fit in reality, but we regarded them as miracles or mysteries to be solved and were never able to figure them out, not even now.

You're probably wondering how _I _could know this. Then let's go back to when it all ignited . . .

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><p>My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My life is nothing short of ordinary. I'm twenty-one, in my third year of college, and working. I have friends, family, a roof over my head. Yep, my life is normal and complete.<p>

It was summer and very hot today. I wish I could have worn shorts. Unfortunately, my job requires a uniform with thick pants. At least the restaurant was cool. I stopped by at a convenience store and got something to drink on this hot day.

Remember when I said that my life was complete? I lied.

Have you ever had a missing friend? One that disappeared, without a trace? Well I do, and it's not your happy topic either. My friend just suddenly disappeared. I don't know if she decided to go on her own, get kidnapped, raped, killed, or anything. She just disappeared.

Before I could tell her how I felt about her.

At least I didn't sit around, waiting for when the police would find her. Even when the case got cold and the nation turned its attention elsewhere, I still searched for her. And I still am.

I decided to take a shortcut through the park, take a long walk through the cherry blossom trees. Maybe I could salvage some of its pink flowers before they finally wilted. As I entered the park, there were a lot of people today. Some were relaxing, taking a swim in the small pond, and some were walking like me.

I walked the pathway that led straight to the trees. There was a lot of pink on the ground, but also enough on the trees to make them look not dead. The trees were on either side of the path, patches of sunlight peaking though the branches. I think I'm getting dizzy from the flowers' sweet scent. One of the flowers fell and I picked it up. Even after its fall, it still looked perfect. I think I'll keep this one. I pocketed it and kept walking.

Suddenly, the hairs on my neck stood up. I turned my head slightly, enough to peek. A man, possibly a homeless due to his ragged clothes, was right behind me. Instantly, I looked forward, walking until I came to a fork then turned right. The guy still followed me. Finally, after many detours, circles, and exploring areas of the park I've never been to, I turned around to confront him.

"What do you want?" I asked, "I don't have money."

The man stood there. I looked at his eyes and they were bloodshot, and he looked a little crazy too.

"Are you high or ―"

Dirty, rough hands wrapped around my neck, instantly cutting off my lungs. I think the crazy factor suddenly kicked in because a huge smile, much too big for his face, broke out. Maybe I also started turning crazy too, because I thought I saw the irises turn red.

Me feet were no longer touching ground, and I was thrown against a tree. Immediately, the man kicked me, over and over again. I wanted to get up, but I was being pummeled insanely fast that getting up was impossible.

"Please . . . help," I gasped in between kicks. Someone did try and help but the homeless somehow had superhuman strength and elbowed them to another tree.

When I thought the man will finally drive a hole in my stomach, I heard a yell.

"_IGNITION!"_

The homeless stopped kicking then there were several thumps followed by what sounded like something clattering. I opened my eyes to see a new pair of black shoes in front of me. I looked up and it felt like the man's hands were choking me again.

There she was, my friend, the one who disappeared when we were sixteen. My friend who I've been searching for for five years. The girl I loved

Sakura Haruno.

_To be continued . . . _

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><p><strong>So there you go, my entry for "Summer" under week 2"Ignite" under week 1. I think it failed there. I will have this beta-ed, but I wanted to get this out on time.**

**This is also my first real romance that'll have action in it. And I'm gonna try out the Hero's Journey with this.  
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	2. Fate and Freedom

**Heh heh, hi everyone! Do you remember me? Maybe you do. Are you mad at me? Please don't hurt me! I know it's been a while (a year) but, uh, I got update for you! Huh? How 'bout it? Will you not hurt me?**

**Oh and PLEASE READ THIS! It's some background info. This story now takes place in America. Specifically, modern day New York. While writing this, I always thought of New York so it stuck. And because it's in America, everything is "Americanized." That means the language, culture, Naruto's ambition (you'll see what I mean) how they act and manner of speech is Americanized (so no honorifics like -kun, -san, -sama and all that. Also, this means Sasuke's 'hn' is gone!) You're probably thinking "Why not just let them be immigrants who speak to each other in Japanese. I like all that stuff!" I could do that, but this story is not about immigration or race/culture. I would definitely do that if that was my intention. But no. The characters really are speaking English and were raised to speak the language in this story.  
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**I guess that's it for now. There's some more background info, but that will have to come next chapter so you won't be all confused as to what I'm talking about.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto _and its characters.  
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><p>Ch 2: Fate and Freedom<p>

I have got to be dreaming. There's no way Sakura can just suddenly appear out of nowhere when she's been gone for freaking five years. Maybe I fell asleep in class or on break. I gave myself a hard pinch. Nope, definitely not a dream.

Sakura was dressed in very, very dark colors. She wore a black hoodie, a dark shirt, very dark blue jeans and black boots to go with. Dark colors were not her kind of thing. She looked prettier in bright colors like red. The only source of color in this mass array of black was her long pink hair and a red armband on her right arm.

I stood on my knees, clutching my stomach. Sakura, still facing the homeless, got into a fighting stance. Her head momentarily jerked at something on the left too far out of reach. A knife. Is she really going to fight this guy? Sakura was not the most athletic girl, nor was she the toughest, even if she had some pretty hard punches. Did she even see what he can do? With just a flick of his arm, he knocked some Good Samaritan hard into a tree. I doubt her punches would be strong enough.

Sakura seemed to think otherwise. The man charged. She slammed the palm of her hand against the ground and a column of earth rose up and got him in the gut. It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. While the guy was still in the air, Sakura dived for the knife and ran off the top of the column and swiped at the guy's torso. She spun and landed a roundhouse kick in his side, sliding back down the column.

I gave myself more pinches.

In a flash, Sakura was right in front of me, a small blue flask in one hand. I looked at her green eyes, searching for any sign of recognition. _Do you remember me? Your best friend ever since we were four? _There was something there, but whether it was recognition or not, I couldn't be sure.

She flipped open the flask and kneeled down. "Drink," she said coldly. A drop of blue, sweet liquid fell into my mouth.

The moment I swallowed, a burning sensation spread across my body. The worst of it was directed into my stomach. As I watched Sakura walk towards the guy that tried to help me, I keeled over, shuddering. It felt like forever before the burning stopped, but when they did, all the pain from my stomach to when I pinched myself disappeared. I lifted my face off the ground to see the earth column gone and Sakura still here, bending over the homeless, concentrating on him. She laid a hand on his arm, seeming to press down on it really hard. She did that a couple times more before pressing twice on a section between the guy's wrist and elbow. She pulled out her knife and sliced down the whole length of the lower arm. From the cut, she pulled out a red object. At first I thought it was a part of the bone. Then I saw it gleam in the sun and realized it was a crystal, a vibrant red crystal that was lodged inside the homeless' arm.

Along with the pinches, I slapped myself.

Sakura pocketed the crystal, gave the man a drop from her blue flask, and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait." I scrambled to my feet, grabbing her wrist before she got away. A million things swam through my mind: Sakura, it's me, Sasuke! Where the hell have you been all these years? You are the most horrible friend ever. I've missed you so much. But all I could say was, "Sakura."

There was panic in her eyes. "Sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." She pulled her wrist out of my grip and ran around the corner. I chased after her, catching up to her but not within reach. Since when did she get so fast? I was the fastest kid in my class back in high school. There's no way Sakura should be able to outrun me. We ran out of the park and into a crowded sidewalk. Sakura was weaving through the crowds, twisting and turning to avoid each phone occupied person. I followed, though not as lithe as her; people screamed after me as they bent to pick up their phones. We reached the intersection and before I could cross, a city bus drove through my path. Ignoring the shocked faces of the people behind, I proceeded to the other side. When I reached the curb, Sakura was gone.

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><p>I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, my shirt rolled up as I examined my stomach. There were no wounds. Not even a bruise. I turned around, checking to see if maybe a bruise formed somewhere else. Nothing. Even the cut I got from handling cutlery today was gone. I'm guessing whatever Sakura made me swallow was medicine, but I've never heard of medicine that could heal so fast.<p>

There was a knock on the door. I rolled down my shirt and peeked through the eyehole only to find it covered. "Who's there?"

"Guess who, bastard," said a familiar voice.

I opened to door to see a grinning man with messy blond hair and blue eyes. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, one of my best friends from when we were little.

"Loser," I said as we bumped fists. He pulled me under his arm and gave me a noogie. This guy never changed, but that's alright.

"What brings you to New York?" I asked as I closed the door.

"I'm doing an internship for a semester here then I head back to Chicago." Naruto's studying politics and he told me he wants to become president one day. "I knew you were living here so I decided to come for a visit. Don't worry buddy, I'll come by more often so you won't get lonely."

I rolled my eyes and went to the kitchen to get us some drinks. When I came back, he was holding my blue leather photo album. It was a graduation gift from his mom. He's also got one in orange.

"Sorry, I-I saw this and I couldn't help take it. Can I?"

I looked at him uneasily before I nodded. Naruto plopped down on my black couch while I sat on the adjacent love seat. Carefully, he flipped through the collection of me, him, and Sakura, smiling at the captured images. Naruto did know Sakura. In fact, the three of us knew each other since we were five and have been best friends since.

"Hey, Sasuke remember this?" He pointed at a picture of the three of us. Sakura was in the middle, behind a birthday cake for her eighth birthday. Apparently, our moms thought it was cute and had me and Naruto kiss either side of her cheeks. "And in the end, we got cake on our faces," he laughed. He looked through more pages, passing through me part of the track team, Naruto holding up a lacrosse trophy and other pictures of our friend.

"Don't worry, Princess Sakura. Your knights in shining armor are coming to save you!" Naruto laughed, quoting a picture of us playing Knights in a sandbox. He punched the air, pretending to hold a sword like how he was in the picture.

He kept turning the pages, laughing at some, frowning, and almost crying on others. I was about to take the album away from him on those, but he perked back so quickly.

I took a sip out of my bottle, making small talk with him. I learned that he met this girl named Hinata Hyuuga and now they were engaged and would get married when he went back. That's good. Before, Naruto had a crush on Sakura ― much to my discontent later on. After Sakura disappeared, he was devastated. That's why I was uneasy about letting him look through the album. Seeing this happy-go-lucky guy cry was just as bad as her disappearing.

"I found her," I said.

"Who?"

"Sakura," I said. At that he closed the book and turned his full attention to me. Whenever it came to Sakura, we never, ever joke about it. "And it wasn't some chick who decided to dye her hair," I continued. "It really was her." I told him about what happened and afterwards he got this dazed look in his eye.

"Wait, what where her clothes again?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow and described her dark attire with the red armband. "Why? Is it a gang thing?"

Naruto scrunched his face. "I don't know if you'd call it a 'gang.'" He scratched his head. "They don't sell drugs or become pimps, but they've got chapters and do have, like, and arch enemy, and have specific colors like a color gang."

"Uh-huh," which was my-speak for, _Keep going._

"It sounds like Sakura is part of a group called Fate, this worldwide organization from what I've heard. This guy I knew in Chicago said he had a friend who was part of that group. He died and his body turned up with the exact same clothes on. Apparently, they're really powerful and the only one with just as much power is another organization called Freedom."

"Freedom?" I repeated.

"They're the opposite of Fate. Both groups are really powerful, but the weirdest thing is that all members supposedly have 'superpowers.'" He made air quotes around the word 'superpowers.' "Sounds like a load of bullshit to me. And Sakura?" he gave a cold laugh. "Would Sakura ever really join some group, gang or not?"

I honestly have no answer. For the rest of his visit, we talked, catching up on what the other was doing, or more he talked while I quietly listened. He still keeps in touch with Sakura's parents, Kizashi and Mebuki, but not much these days since it's too painful. He talks about his stupid roommate who won't stop slacking off yet can somehow be a genius, and sometimes I tell him about my boring life here in Brooklyn. When it was time to leave, he was a little drunk.

"Should I drive you home?" I asked smirking.

"Naw, there's no need for that. I'm just fi-ine," he drawled but he walked to the door without difficulty. "By the way, did ya talk to Sakura?"

". . . not really."

"Hmpf. Well next time ya see her, kiss her and tell her ya love her. Ya never had a real relationship since we were sixteen!" He gave a drunken laugh as I shoved him out of my apartment. "Once a bastard, always a bastard! See ya, Sasuke."

I closed the door, letting myself leaf through the photos.

_To be continued . . .  
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><p><strong>And chapter 2 done! BTW the story may have a lot of sarcasm, especially in Sasuke's inner monologue. A lot of guys I know are sarcastic (and they're American! XD) and plus this is what I imagine goes on in Sasuke's mind. Not just for Ignition, but in <em>Naruto <em>too. I mean, no one's mind can just be static right? There's gotta be a reaction. Personality wise, to me it's how a person chooses to express themselves, so Sasuke chooses to be quiet and all cool and shit on the outside, but inside he's like "OMG WTF IS GOING ON AND SKDF:SJF:SK!" or something less fangirly like that. lol.**_  
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**Naruto's dreams: See, I told you this was Americanized! Harharhar. I would totally vote for him :D  
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**Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno! The official names of Saku's parents! They're such a perf couple. :D_ Road to Sakura _gave me so many feels!  
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**Until next time!  
>I <em>really <em>don't want you to hurt me.  
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**Beta-ed by the awesome xXAsuka-chanXx  
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	3. The girl named Blue

**OK, more background info here. Actually, this could be more of a heads up. Sasuke will be talking to other girls. That's right. Girls who are NOT Sakura. It's a normal thing in everyday life! Everyone is allowed to interact with the other gender even if they're not your significant other. Whether or not if the girls he talks to is romance is up to your interpretation. But I can assure you that there is going to be romance between our lovely OTP. This wouldn't be a Sasusaku if there wasn't, right? ^^**

**But really, just read it and try not to be hating on every single woman he meets, 'kay?  
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**Disclaimer: _Naruto_ and all its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, _Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series _belongs to Rick Riordan, and while its super old, I do not own _Troy. _I think it belongs to Homer.  
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><p>Ch 3: The girl named Blue<p>

Days later, I was finishing my shift at the restaurant when my brother appeared.

"Hey," he greeted, wiping his hands on his apron. Itachi owns the restaurant and being brothers and all, I get a job right away. Itachi pays fair, like he does with all his other employees. "You see that girl over there? I think she's interested in you."

Itachi pointed to a girl who sat on one of the high stools in the far left corner near a window. She had dark hair pulled into a sloppy bun with the underside bleached. Currently she was drinking coffee with her laptop in front of her. For the past few days, she'd been coming here and sitting in that exact same spot, which so happens to be in the area where I take orders every day. She glanced at me for a moment before looking back at her computer, blushing.

"So?" I replied as I stacked menus.

"Why don't you talk to her? She seems nice."

I scoffed. "Yeah, and in the end, she'll turn out like the others. Not interested." My shift ended and I punched my card. "See you." I grabbed my back pack and walked out of the restaurant.

"Wait, Sasuke, I'm sorry ―" he called, but the door closed before I could hear the rest.

I made a quick stop at my apartment and changed out of my uniform and into regular clothes. I drove to my college and parked in my school's parking ramp on the seventh floor and sat through the most boring lecture ever. At least we got to move on to a new unit with new books. Later, as I headed back to the parking ramp, I heard someone call my name.

"Sasuke! Hey, Sasuke!"

I looked over my shoulder to see a girl with long, wavy dark hair in a newsboy's cap jogging towards me with two men following behind. The girl's name is Angela and the guys are Robbie and Zach. Angela is majoring in Journalism while Robbie is going for Anthropology. Zach is majoring in English like me. We have a lot of classes together which is how they know me and call me their friend. I don't really see them as friends, more as acquaintances, but I don't mind being with them. They remind me of my friends from back then.

"'Sup, Sasuke," greeted Robbie, holding out a hand for a high five.

"Fine," I said shortly, pushing his hand away and continuing my walk.

"Did you read today's paper?" asked Angie, keeping in step with me. "There's an article covering some sort of conspiracy theory about Green Snakes labs: Along with filing for bankruptcy there have been some accusations that said they were doing human experimentation . . . b-but I-I guess that's all made up and stupid. You hear anything about the nuclear plant . . .?"

I think it's time I tell you Angela has a bit of a crush on me. Actually, "a bit" is an understatement. It's a major crush and kind of obvious too. Which is unfortunate for Zach. Zach is in love with Angela. I and Robbie were able to figure it out, but she remains oblivious and attracted to the wrong guy. I'm just glad Zach doesn't hold misjudged jealousy towards me. He understands that I don't have any sort of feelings or sexual desires towards her. I'd bail out if this became a love triangle I see in young adult books all the time.

"It's been about the same stuff all the time," said Robbie. "'Omigod, the reactor levels are up by three percent,' or 'Oh no, nuclear radiation leaked.' What about those organizations . . . Freedman and Fatal?"

"Fate and Freedom," I corrected. From Angela's expression, she could tell I had some interest in this. She dug out of her bag a newspaper and scanned the pages for any such names.

"That's an urban legend," snorted Zach.

"No, it's not! In fact, my cousin knows this guy who knows this guy―"

"Nothing here," interrupted Angela. "But Zach, they are real. I even once thought of joining Fate."

"_What?"_ asked Zach. "Why?"

Angela shrugged. "Bored, wanted to run away, you know, teenage drama. I couldn't anyways since their leader said, 'Your destiny is not with us,' or something like that."

"You've met their leader?" I asked, stopping.

She blushed, taking a few steps forward. "Y-yeah, back in Nashville. It's no big deal, really. Why? Sasuke, are you seriously ―"

There was a loud screech and we turned to see a white van swerve around the corner and speed towards us. Like literally right for us. Zach grabbed Angela as we dove for the edge of the copse, barely getting our feet away before they could be crushed flat. Briefly, I saw a man with gray hair and a green armband in the driver's seat followed by a green loopy imprint, like a snake. Once the vehicle passed us, Robbie jumped to his feet, yelling obscenities and making rude gestures.

"Everyone okay?" asked Zach. "Angie? Angie?"

I shifted into a better position when Angie's face appeared in my view. She was beaming.

"Thank you for saving me, Sasuke," she said, blushing but smiling even brighter.

"I didn't save you," I said. "Zach did."

"Oh, you don't have to be so modest. It just means you care."

I looked at Zach who had his face in his palm. I mouthed an apology as Robbie patted his back. Apparently he said some bad joke because the next thing we knew, he was head first in the copse.

"What was that van's problem?" asked Zach. "He should've damn well seen us."

"It could only happen in Brooklyn," said Angie. "But did you see the insignia? It was Green Snake's. I wonder if . . . ." There was a certain look in her eye that made us all right away reject her idea to tail them.

"See you around," I said as I went into the parking ramp.

When I got out of the elevator on my floor, something smashed through the opening, leaving a huge trench.

"Some hard kick he's got," said the voice of a woman. When the dust cleared, a dark skinned woman with dark red hair and gold eyes stood at the end of the trench. She was dressed in all black with a blue armband around her left arm.

She clapped her hands and yelled, "_Ignition!" _She pulled them apart and―was that a sword coming out of her hands? The woman swung, sending what looked like a bolt of electricity at some flying figure in the distance.

"What're you looking at?" she demanded. I shut my hanging jaw as the woman jumped off the building and landed on a fire escape on the other side of the street as if she always does that.

An idea popped in my mind. I jumped inside my car and got out of the parking ramp, driving to where I saw the woman jump. I approached an empty one-way block and there she was, kneeling next to a body. There was another man with her, dressed like her and holding down the body. She took her weapon and cut into the leg. She did the same thing to the other leg, only this time pulling out a blue crystal. They let him take a drink out of a blue flask her partner had. As the man screamed, the two pulled him into an alley and drove away in their own car.

I waited a few seconds before following them. They led me to the mansions of Clinton Hill, pulling up on the driveway of a small, blue and white mansion. I watched the woman and her partner walk past the gates and topiaries and knock on the door to say a few words to whoever answered before they disappeared into the fancy house.

Now that I was here, I was stuck. I'd gotten my hopes too high; Sakura may not even be in the state anymore either. But I want to know what that thing was she got from the homeless' arm, and why did she involve herself in this stuff. Maybe there was a chance . . . . Before I knew it, I was knocking on the oak door.

Almost immediately, the door opened and what may have been the biggest man I've ever seen stood in the doorway.

"Members only," he said quietly, but firmly.

I glared. "I'm looking for someone."

"Members only," he repeated more tersely, pointing at his blue armband.

"Are you the group called Fate?"

At that, the giant gained a furious look in his eye. I saw horns growing out of his head.

"Don't say that damned organization in this house!" he spat. His voice sounded like a monster's.

"Oi, Juugo, calm down," came a scratchy voice.

Juugo's horns retreated back into his head. He stood up straight and half-turned to a man about my age with white hair, a slim body and purple eyes.

"I think you should listen to our guard and go. Members only," he said.

"I'm looking for someone and she might be here."

From out of a pocket in his black jacket, the white haired man pulled out a juice pouch and drank it all in one gulp. "Well, I dunno who it is you're looking for here. She could be anywhere in the world, so you'll have to talk to the higher up."

He turned around and began walking further into the mansion, signaling for me to come. Many people, all similarly dressed, were watching. I pocketed my hands, ignoring the spectator stares of these people. The woman from before appeared from what I assume is the living room and immediately walked up to me.

"Why did you follow us?" she asked. There was a flash of lightning between her fingertips. "I should've killed you when I had the chance."

"It's his choice, Karui, and I can't stop him if he wants to. By the way, have you seen Shi?"

"What is it, Suigetsu?" replied a man coming down the stairs. He had blond, windswept hair that parted on one side and a doctor's lab coat. He regarded me for a moment before turning to Karui. "Did he follow you from your mission?"

"Anyways," interrupted Suigetsu. "Is she okay to see him?"

"She's fine, but she needs rest after she took in that fragment."

"Oh no. There is no way this guy is joining us. We already got enough weird-heads," Karui said, glancing at the white haired guy. She made way to block the stairs until Suigetsu stopped her.

"Go up the stairs and take a right. Keep going till you reach the third door on your left," Suigetsu murmured in my ear.

In the landing at the top, all the curtains were drawn, blocking the late sun. I could hardly see anything out here. I found a switch but the lights would not turn on. I proceeded forward, running my hands along the wall for that door. When my fingers brushed against a door frame for the fifth time, I opened the door.

Inside, the room was still dark, but not as dark as the hallway. There were stacks of books, thick and ancient looking, and a couple recent ones like _Percy Jackson and the Olympians. _In the corner of the bed next to a small reading lamp sat a girl, her nose buried in a book titled _Troy__. _I couldn't decide if she was old or young. Her physique was that of a girl, no older than five, but her skin was wrinkled, with thin, frail limbs and snow-white hair. She looked up from her book and smiled.

"Hello," came the voice of a little girl. She set down her book and used her hands to move her legs to the edge of the bed. She held out her hand. "What's your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," I replied, shaking her hand. "You?"

"People call me Ao these days." Her blue eyes twinkled. "Would you like a seat?" With a flick of her hand, a stack of books spread to reveal a chair that instantly moved. Hesitantly, I sat. "You're looking for someone. A person in particular."

How did she know? "My friend," I replied. Ao tilted her head, urging me for more. "Sakura Haruno."

She frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize that name."

"She's in the organization Fate."

"Again, sorry, but we're Freedom. They're opposite."

There went my chance.

"You know, Mr. Uchiha, you've got a . . . a _fire _in your eyes. Your friend must be really important to you, right?"

I nodded.

"Freedom is the only organization with the power to fight Fate. I could give you that power." She laid a hand over her heart and seemed to pull, by some invisible string, a sharp, jagged blue crystal. "I do want to see you save your friend, but do _you _want to save her? It is entirely your choice."

Ao held the blue crystal over my heart, gazing steadily at me.

"I want to bring her home."

"Then welcome to Freedom to Choose." Ao sharply jabbed the crystal into my heart, sinking it in all the way. It was like I had taken that strange burning medicine. The sensation moved and gathered into one spot on my upper left arm. I clutched it; the pain grew worse. After what seemed like forever and my arm starting to feel like it was going to rip apart, the pain stopped. I controlled my shaking as best as I could and looked underneath my palm. There was a newly printed tattoo of an eye with a crescent moon in the center.

"The mark that you're a part of us. You may want to cover it up with this ―" Ao twirled her finger and a blue armband sprouted forth. "When they shine, it can get very bright. I've also unlocked any potential abilities you could have. You should know how to use them. Can you show me?"

And as if this whole thing couldn't get any weirder, I did know how to use these "abilities." It was something always there, always in me but sealed away and never showing itself until now.

_"Ignition."_

From my left palm, a blade hilt emerged. I grasped the black hilt, pulling out a long silver blade of a chokutō and the blade seemed to radiate a strong heat.

"A sword wielder, just like Karui. Judging by its power . . . I think there was more than just a fire in your eyes." Ao clapped her hands and smiled. "Thank you for your dedication to Freedom, Mr. Uchiha."

"'Dedication'?" I repeated. "No. I am not _dedicating _myself to some gang of freaks. I only got this power so I can bring back my friend. Got it?"

"Got it. But Fate is a powerful group. You'll be destroyed before you can even try. I'll let you think about your decision. After all, that's what Freedom is all about."

I turned my back to her. "See you around," and walked out of the mansion.

_To be continued . . .  
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><p><strong>There. Three girls he interacts with. Four if you count the girl at Itachi's restaurant. It wasn't so bad, right? <strong>

**Anyways, the reason why I called this chapter "the girl named Blue" is because the name "Ao" is Japanese for "blue." I realize that there is a canon character named Ao, but Kishi's Ao is a man! My Ao is not a relative, reincarnation, a piece of nor does she even have any connection with the canon Ao. She's my very own OC. **

**Beta-ed by the ever so awesome xXAsuka-ChanXx  
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	4. Apologies and Decisions

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto. _R****eally, must I say this every single fucking time?**

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><p>Ch 4: Apologies and Decisions<p>

Right now, I wanted to kick something.

I was sitting in my car, driving along the Manhattan Bridge back to Brooklyn. I'd spent all my time driving through Brooklyn and eventually reaching the bottom end of Manhattan, searching for Fate's base. They're definitely not in Clinton Hill. The two organizations hate each other, so living in the same neighborhood would be impractical. I searched for anybody with red armbands, but no one like that wandered the streets. Stupid magical girl-slash-old woman. Should've given me directions to find Fate along with my heated sword.

In need of a break, I went back to my apartment. Automatically, I dug out of my closet a box full of DVDs. These were home movies sent with me by my parents when I moved here for college, in case I ever got lonely. I fished around the box for a DVD labeled, _Slaughter Rot. _It's this zombie movie the three of us made when we were ten for a movie making contest. I wrote the story and directed it, while Naruto, Sakura, my brother and some of our other friends were the actors.

I opened my laptop since my T.V. doesn't have a DVD player. When the video player popped, I pressed _play._

Within the privacy of my apartment, I allowed myself to really laugh. Did I really write that? Itachi is such a bad actor. Before we even recorded that scene, I remember Sakura fighting with Naruto about how to apply zombie make-up right. At some point during the movie, I started daydreaming about stuff we did. There were a lot of good memories and a lot of misplaced ones too.

I needed to talk to someone. I drove to my brother's restaurant, the only place I go to when things pop up. I pulled on a dark hoodie to cover the new tattoo on my body.

"Well, you're back," said Itachi as I walked inside. He was sitting in one of the booths, pre-wrapping clean utensils in a cloth. "Can I get you something?"

"Coffee," I said, sitting in the bench opposite him. Itachi disappeared into the kitchen and came out a moment later with two mugs and a pitcher of the dark liquid. He poured coffee and added cream to his, quietly returning to his task.

After a long moment of silence, Itachi finally said, "Sasuke, I'm sorry." He set down the napkin-rolled utensils. "I shouldn't have tried to hook you up with that girl earlier, especially considering what you've gone through and are still trying to sort out at this point. But I can't stand to see you waste your whole life away like that."

"I tried," I said. I really did. I tried to move on, accept the fact she was gone, dating other girls when I thought I'd gotten over her, but each time, I only saw her face. It just wouldn't work. "All the other girls never even tried to get to know me. Sakura did. Always."

"It's not your fault," he murmured.

"How would you know? You can't read minds," I retorted. "And what if it is? What if the soul reason she left was because of me? Because I was the worst friend anyone could have."

"No. Sasuke, listen to your brother. Sakura would never do that because of you."

I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it. Itachi is right. Sakura would never do that to me, to any of us. No matter how much my guilt tells me it is my fault, deep, deep down I know there is some other reason why she disappeared.

More silence followed. We drank more coffee; at this point, the pitcher was less than a third full. My fingers rapidly drummed the table and my upper left arm prickled.

"Sometimes, for a special person, you have to do more than what you bargained," said Itachi. "You gotta do something."

"But I am. I always check the police reports, look at evidence―"

"That's not enough. The case went cold years ago. No one except you is looking at it. You're not even getting information anymore. At this point she could be―"

"Sakura is not dead," I said firmly, my mug clapping loudly against the table.

"Point is, Sasuke, sometimes you gotta do everything you can and beyond what you're doing now. Sometimes, you may not even like it."

"I do want to do more." I stared at my coffee. Freedom's members all dedicated to the wrinkled girl appeared in my mind. I spun the mug back and forth, the liquid barely moving. "But it seems stupid and I'd give up so much."

"For her, it will be worth it."

My arm started itch. I scratched, but that didn't help and it seemed the itch was slowly starting to burn. I rolled up my sleeve to see what was wrong. There wasn't a rash or skin irritation, just an eye.

"Is that a tattoo?" asked Itachi. Before I could fix my sleeve, he jerked my arm roughly towards him. After a long moment of scrutinizing it, he said, "That had better not be a gang symbol. You and I both know it's not worth it."

"It's not. It's a―" I clapped a hand over the mark. It suddenly burned, as if it were fire on my flesh. My fingers glowed orange and I lifted my hand a tiny bit and a bright light pierced through. That's when the moon moved. It moved in its socket like a real eye, rolling left and right before finally pointing to the right. I quickly replaced my hand back over the tattoo before Itachi could see it.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

The bell rung, signaling someone had just opened the door. Itachi looked at me for one second before turning to whoever just entered.

"We're closed," he said. The man he was talking to was ordinarily dressed, not at all like the homeless I encountered a few days ago. He had a dazed look in his eye. The eye on my arm felt like it was on fire. Itachi took one step forward. "Sir, leave or I call the police."

The man lunged. His fist punctured right through the booth backrest, palm sticking out. He fisted again and took his hand across the seat, taking another swing at my brother.

"Itachi, get out of here!" I yelled. The attacker glanced at me and I saw his eyes glow blue. He lunged and I dodged, giving him a kick in the back for extra momentum.

"Sasuke, duck!" yelled Itachi. I dove for the ground. There was the sound of gun fire, bullets whizzing over my head. When the shots ceased, I turned to Itachi who was standing behind the counter, a revolver in hand.

"When the hell did you get _that_?"

"It's best to keep one around. Never know who would show up for late Happy Hour."

A salt shaker whizzed past, hitting my brother square in the head. As he fell, a mustard bottle came hurtling towards me, and I barely dodged it. The attacker jumped forth, bloody in areas but still standing. He had a demented grin as he lunged. I kicked the table on its side before he punched it in half. I made a break for the bar, hoping to get Itachi's gun, but a chair crashed into the counter and the guy swept past me, almost getting my head. Now he was the one closest to the bar and it looked like I wouldn't get any closer myself. Goddamit, if only I had a weapon.

Oh wait, I do.

_"Ignition." _I pulled the sword out of my palm, the radiation causing it to glow.

The thing about swords is I don't know how to use them. I never took a sword class or karate class, so the chokutō was a pretty much a flashy weight in my hands. The guy with glowing blue eyes charged, so I did what instinct told me and swung.

You could say I missed, and to a certain degree, you'd be right. You could say I got him, and you'd also be right, in the most bizarre way. My blade missed, but fire―yes, _fire―_jumped off the chokutō and engulfed him entirely. I swung again, the blade slicing across his flesh. He collapsed. I stared at him for a very long time, comprehending what happened. When the fire on his clothes finally burned out and the sword's weight faded from my hands did I finally become aware of what just happened.

"Itachi."

I ran to the bar, hopping over the counter to tend to my brother. Blood was all over his forehead and eyes, trickling down his cheeks. Next to him was the gun and broken salt shaker, the glass shards way too close. Gingerly, I moved him away from the glass and leaned him against the cabinet.

I looked up from behind the counter at the burned man. He has something to do with Freedom, I'm sure of it. His eyes were the same shade of blue as Ao's but devoid of emotion except insanity, just like the homeless. Whatever he is, he and the others like him were a threat; he almost killed my brother for crying out loud. Sakura. Sakura's involved in this, always fighting these dangerous guys, putting her life on the line and it could turn into something irreversible that I failed to save her from.

I glanced back and forth between Itachi and the man. Finally, I jumped over the counter and made a quick call to the police station.

"I know what to do now," I said to Itachi's unconscious body. "Thanks, big brother.

I lifted the bleeding man and dragged him my car. I stopped at a gas station, purchased a rope and tied him up so he won't attack me. I had no idea where the crystal could be in his body, so I did the next best thing.

I drove to Clinton Hill. The man was bleeding badly and I had none of that medicine or any first aid supplies to fix his wounds. I pulled up in the familiar blue and white mansion and dragged the body to the door. I got in easier this time since the guard recognized me and mainly because of the blue armband I now wore.

Ao was in the living room, sitting in a wheelchair in front of the table, quietly chewing macaroni and cheese. When I entered, she turned her full attention to me and smiled.

"You're back," she said.

"I came to drop this." I plopped the bloody man on the floor and Shi was already at his side. He checked his pulse and gave him a small drop from the flask. "I've also come to say I will be joining."

"Wonderful! And your main goal is to save your friend right?"

I nodded. Being part of this world is the only way to save her.

"I'm glad for your decision, Sasuke―may I call you that? I will help you in any way I can." She raised her glass. "To Sasuke Uchiha, Freedom's newest member!"

Shi and Juugo, who were the only other people in the room, so raised their glasses and clunked it against Ao's. Ao slammed the palm of her hand against her head and scrunched her face like she was having a severe headache.

"And it looks like you got your first mission too," she said. "Sasuke, how would you like to go the Bermuda Triangle?"

_To be continued . . ._

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><p><strong>It's been a while, hasn't it guys? I wish I could update faster but, oh God, school, particularly college, is a workload. At least I have Ignition all written, typed, and betaed, so it's all ready. Until next time, everyone!<strong>_  
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**Beta-ed by the lovely xXAsuka-chanXx!  
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